Lasting machine



Feb. 24, 1942. F. ASHWORTH ETAL LASTING MACHINE Original Filed July 24, 1940- 2 Sheets-Sheet l //v VE/V TUA75 Feb. 24, 1942. F, ASHWORTH ET A 2,274,571 Y LASTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 24, 1940 //v v/v TUNE.

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Patented Feb. 24, 1942 LASTING MACHINE Fred Ashworth, Wenham, and Paul W. Senfleben,

Malden, Mass., assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Original application July 24, 1940, Serial No.

347,170. Divided and this application Decemher 9, 1940, Serial No. 369,200

18 Claims.

This invention relates to lasting machines and more particularly to machines for shaping the foreparts of moccasins over lasts. This application is a division of application Serial .No. 347,170, filed July 24, 1940, in our names.

The application referred to above discloses certain steps in a method of making moccasins and certain machines which are utilized in connection therewith. .Incarrying out this method, a moccasin bottom'is secured to a forepartform which is arranged to be secured to successive heel part forms for carrying out the various steps. By employing separable forepart and heel part forms, the heel ,part forms being permanent parts of the successive machines, the operations are simplified and may be performed: more quickly and at less cost. One of the objects of this invention isthe provision of an improved lasting machine which is adapted to be used in carrying out "the method disclosed in our earlier application.

The lasting machine disclosed herein is similar in many respects to that disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States 2,193,796,granted March 19, 1940, on an application filed in the name of Fred Ashworth. In accordance with one of the features of this invention, the movable carriage which supports the heel part of a last in the machine disclosed in the above-mentioned patent is provided with a heel part form which is a permanent part of the machine, the heel part form being arranged to receive a forepart form to which a moccasin has previously been secured. The heel part form is movable between operative and inoperative positions and means are provided for locking a forepart form to the heel part form by movement of the heel part form to its operative position. In accordance with a further feature of the invention, a moccasin-retaining spur is moved rearwardly of the heel part form as the form is moved into operative position to secure the back part of a moccasin to the form against displacement relative thereto.

As disclosed in the Ashworth patent, the carriage which supports the heel part of the last is movable lengthwise of a lasting cable, which isarranged to be tensioned about the forepart of the last, in order to accommodate various sizes of lasts. Inasmuch as the width of a last varies in accordance with variations in the length thereof, it is desirable to move the cable operating means laterally relative to the carriage as the carriage is adjusted so that the direction of strain on the cable is tangent to the curvature of the sides of the form at the widest point.

Accordingly, as a further feature of this invention, the arms to which the ends of the cable are secured are moved-laterally toward or away from each other simultaneously with the lengthwise adjustment of the carriage to adjust the cable both widthwise and lengthwise in accordance with the size of the form employed.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention the lasting cableis provided with a rotatable sleeve which is arranged to engage the toe end of the moccasinso that the cable will have a rolling as well as a gripping action on the moccasin.

The lasting machine is also provided with.

pusher and lifter members which are arranged to position a clamp which is placed about the toe end of the forepart to secure the moccasin thereto at the conclusion of the lasting operation and to lift the clamp upwardly so that it maintains the bottom of the' moccasin in engagement with the bottom of the forepart form. In order to facilitate the mounting of the clamp on the forepart form and to facilitate removal of the assembled forepart formQthe moccasin bottom and the clamp after the completion of the lastingoperation, and in accordance with a further feature of the invention, the pusher and lifter members are arranged to swing out of the way when not in use.

These and other features of the invention will now be described in detail and illustrated in the along the line VI-VI of Fig. 4.

The lasting machine disclosed herein is similar in several respects ,to that disclosed in Patent 2,193,796 referred to above to which reference may be had for a fuller understanding of those parts of the machine not described herein. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the machine comprises a standard l0 upon which is mounted a head frame 12. The head frame is provided with ways M in which a carriage I6 is mounted for sliding movement imparted to it by a doublethreaded screw I8 journaled in the head frame and rotated by means of a hand wheel 29.

The work support comprises a heel part form 22 mounted on an arm 24 integral with the carriage Iii, the upper end portion of the arm being bored to receive the shank 26 of a forked member 28 releasably held in the bore by means of a detent pin 30, the end of which enters a closed slot 32 in the shank of the forked membar. end of the member 28, and the arm 24 holds the former in its forward position but permits it to yield slightly rearwardly. An arm 36 extending upwardly from the top of the heel part form is pivotally connected to the forked member 28 by a pin 38, about which the heel; part form may be swung upwardly from its working position, shown in Fig. 1 to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 4. A spring-pressed pin 40, the head 42 of which contacts a bearing member 44 carried by the arm 36, holds the heel part form in either working or inoperative position.

Provision is made for securing a separable forepart form to the heel part form 22, the moccasin having previously been assembled on the forepart in any suitable manner, such as by the method shown in the application referred to above. Pivotally secured to the forward face of the heel part is a hinged member 46 (Fig. 4) which has formed in it a dovetailed recess 48 arranged to receive a corresponding tongue 50 on a forepart form 52. Collapsing and extending of the assembled form comprising the heel part form 22 and the forepart form 52 is effected through the movement of the hinged member 46 during the swinging of the heel part from working to work-receiving position or vice versa. To this end, the upper end of the member 4% isprovided with an ear 54 and to this ear one link 56 of a toggle is pivotally connected. The other link 58 of the toggle is pivoted on a pin fifi carried by the rear wall of the heel part form. A link 62 connects the knee of the toggle and the forked member 28. It will be, noted that the distance between the pin 38 andthe knee of the toggle, when the heel part is in the position of Fig. 1, is greater than the distance between the knee and-the-point at which the link 62 is connected to the forked member. Therefore swinging of the heel part downwardly into the operative position shown in Fig. 1 straightens the toggle and swings the hinged member 46iforwardly so that the forepart form is in extended relation to the heel part. Movement of the heel part and the forepart form out of working position, however, breaks the toggle and swings the hinged member 46 rearwardly to the position shown in Fig. 4 so that the forepart form and the moccasin bottom may readily be removed from the heel part.

It is desirable that when. in extended position the forepart should be securely locked to the heel part. To this end, the link 56 of the toggle is provided with a spring-pressed pin 84, the end of which is arranged toextend through. an aperture in the hinged. member 56 upon straightening of the toggle to. engage a slot 66 in the tongue 50: of the forepart form, thus holding the forepa-rt form securely in position. Breaking of the. toggle by movement of the heel part 22 upwardly, however, retracts the pin 64 thus permitting removal of the forepart form from the heel part.

To hold the heel end of the moccasin in proper position on the heel part 22', the link 58 is pro- A spring 34 interposed between the-forked vided with a lug 68 through which extends a crew 79, the tip of which is pointed to form a spur l2. A second screw I4 extending through the lug provides means for clamping the spur screw Ill in adjusted position. The lug is so positioned on the link 58 that traightening of the toggle moves the spur outwardly through an aperture 76 in the back wall of the heel part 22 for engagement with the back part of a shoe positioned on the heel part to maintain the shoe in the desired position thereon. Breaking of the toggle, however; swings the spur inwardly to a position out of engagement with the shoe.

To provide additional support for the forepart form when the assembled form is swung downwardly into working position, a plate 80 (Fig. 1) is secured by screws to the carriage It. This plate extends forwardly above the ways I4 and has secured to it approximately at the center a wedge member 32. This wedge member is so positioned that it engages the bottom face of the forepart form and holds it up slightly from the remainder of the plate for a purpose hereinafter to be explained.

The lasting of the. moccasin is performed by means of a cable 84, the ends'of which. are secured to arms 86 by means of bolts 88. These arms are pivoted-for movement transversely with respect to the carriage on screws 90 which extend into a yoke 92 journaled on a shaft 94. Additional support for the arms 86 is provided by upwardly extending arms 96 integral with the yoke. These arms 96 are provided with machined surfaces 98 against which the upper ends of the arms rest. Rearward movement of the cable to last the moccasin is effected through the arms 96 against which bear cams I00 mounted on each sidev of the, head frame, I2'on a shaft #62 to which a ratchet and'pawl mechanism (not shown) operated by a handle IN is secured, as shown in the above-referred-to Patent No. 2,193,796. A brake member I06 bearing against a brake drum I08 holds the cam I00 in the position to which it is moved. by the handle I04.

As the size of the moccasin being operated upon decreases, it becomes necessary to move the carriage I6 forwardly so that the lasting cable 84 may be tensioned sufficiently by the cam I00 to stretch the moccasin bottom heightwise over the form. As the size of the moccasin being operated upon decreases, its width will also decrease proportionately. Since it is desirable that the direction of strain on the cable through the arms 86' should be approximately tangent to the curvature of the sides of the form at its widest point, the arms 86 must be moved inwardly as the carriage I6 is moved forward to accommodate a smaller size moccasin. To this end, a spring III) (Fig. 3) is hooked into lugs H2 on the arms 86, this spring tending to draw the. arms inwardly toward one another and to hold them against abutments Il'4 on the ends of screws IIB'. These screws extend through bearings H8 on the head frame I2 and are threadedv into the ends of a sleeve I26. This sleeve is also provided at its center with a skew gear I22 which meshes with a second skew gear I24 carried by the screw IS. The two, ends of the sleeve I20 are threaded in opposite directions so that rotation of the screw I8 will cause the screws II6 to move inwardly or outwardly in accordance with the direction of rotation of the screw l8. By thisarrangement, forwardmovement of the carriage IE will cause the abutments, I I4 to. be drawn inwardly by the sleeve, thus'allowing the spring to move the arms closer to one another, while rearward movement of the carriage will separate the abutments.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the rotation of the cam I by the handle I134 will cause the cable 84 to be drawn rearwardly. The toe end of the forepart form is sloped inwardly toward its upper surface and therefore the tension created upon drawing the cable rearwardly will cause the cable to move upwardly, thus stretching the moccasin bottom over the form. In carrying out this step, it has been found desirable that the cable should have a rolling as well as a gripping action. To this end, the cable sleeve I illustrated in Fig. 2 is provided. This sleeve is composed of spirally wound wire which is preferably resilient so that the sleeve is essentially a spring. Thus, if the coils are separated slightly during the lasting operation, they will return to their original position with the coils in contact with each other upon release of the strain on the cable. The internal diameter of the sleeve I26 is slightly greater than the external diameter of the cable, so that the sleeve is free to turn about the cable. Thus.

a when thecable is tensioned to last the moccasin.

a, combined rolling and stretching action will be obtained. The sleeve will roll over the surface of'the leather, turning about the cable, but the friction between the sleeve and the cable, when the cable is under tension, is sufficient so that the sleeve will also slide over the surface of the leather. In other words, the sleeve will not rotate about the cable as rapidly as it would if there were no friction between the sleeve and the cable.- The friction brakes the rolling action somewhat, so that the leather will to a certain extent be gripped between the sleeve and the form, in much the same manner that an ordinary lasting wiper grips the leather between itself and the last.

After the cable and sleeve have moved about one-third to one-half way up over the surface of the form, the friction between the sleeve and the cable becomes so great that the rolling stops. When this occurs, the spirals of the sleeve bite into the leather and with a combined gripping and wiping action stretch the leather upwardly over the form until the cable has reached the position shown in Fig. 1.

After the moccasin bottom has been properly tensioned over the form by the cable, a forepart clamp I21, such as that illustrated in United States Letters Patent No. 2,234,544, granted March 11, 1941, in the names of Ashworth and Baker, is slipped over the toe end of the form to hold the moccasin bottom in position during subsequent operations. In order to force the clamp into firm engagement with the moccasin bottom, a pusher member I28 (Figs. 1 and 5) and a wedge-shaped lifting member I30 are provided. These two members are mounted on a shaft I32 journaled for rotary movement in a carriage I34 slidable lengthwise of the head frame I2 on rods I36. The lifter I34 is'carried by a rod I38 slidable in a block I49 on the shaft I32 and is yieldably urged away from the block by a spring I42. When a treadle (not shown) is depressed, a chain I44 connected tothe carriage is drawn downwardly, moving the carriage I34 toward the forepart clamp I2'I against the action of springs I45 (Fig. 5). The lifter wedge I30 first slides in underneath the forepart clamp, its entry'into the space between the forepart clamp and the plate Bl] being facilitated because of the wedge 82 which raises the forepart form up off the plate 80 slight- 1y. A the lifter wedge I30 moves forwardly, its inclined face forces the forepart clamp upwardly until the bottom-engaging portions of the latter strike the bottom of the forepart form, upward movement of the latter being prevented by a .holddown I46 which clamps the form against the wedge 82 on the plate 80. Continued movement of the carriage I34 toward the toe end of the form causes the spring I42, by which the lifter member is yieldably urged toward the heel end of the form, to compress until the pusher member I28 is brought into engagement with the forepart clamp to force it tightly against the form.

In order to facilitate application of the forepart clamp after the lasting has been completed, it is desirable that the pusher and lifter members should be swung to one side when they are in their retracted position, as illustrated in Fig. 5. To this end, one end of a coil spring I48 is secured to a screw I50 on the carriage, the other end being fastened to the shaft I32 by a second screw I52. This spring is so arranged that it urges the pusher and lifter members into their operating position, that is, into alinement with the longitudinal center lineof the forepart form, in which position they may be moved toward the form to bring the forepart clamp into clamping position. A chain I54 is secured to a pin I56 on the shaft I32, its other end being secured to the head frame I2. The chain is sufficiently short and the springs I45 which return the carriage I34 to its retracted position are sufficiently strong so that when the treadle is released the pusher and lifter members I28 and I36 will be swung aside out of operative position as shown in Fig. 5. With these members in this position, the insertion of the clamp into the space between the forepart form 52 and the plate 80 is a simple matter, and, similarly, the removal of the assembled forepart form, the moccasin bottom, and the clamp after completion of the clamping operation is made easy.

The actual lasting operation is performed by moving the carriage Iii forwardly or to the left as viewed in Fig. 1 until the cable 84 engages the sides of the form close to the bottom, and simultaneously swinging the arm 86 carrying the cable inwardly so that the cable is substantially tangent to the sides of the forepart form at its widest point. With the cable and the sleeve I26 resting against the moccasin bottom and held against the inwardly sloping sides of the forepart form, tension is applied on the cable to cause it to move upwardly over the form. As has already been pointed out, the tensioning of the cable initially effects a rolling action through the sleeve I26 and subsequently a combined gripping and wiping action which stretches the moccasin bottom heightwise of the form, thus removing any wrinkles about the toe end of the moccasin.

It may be noted here that the size of the finished moccasin is controlled through two factors:

first, the height of the forepart clamp I2'I which is employed subsequently as a trimming guide in the manner set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 2,234,543, granted March 11, 1941, in the names of Fred Ashworth and Corwin W. Baker;

and second, the volume of the forepart form. These two factors determine the amount of space that will be enclosed by the moccasin plug and.

the moccasin bottom, and insure that when a second last is inserted into the finished moccasin, it will fit properly. Since the heel end form is a permanent part of the machine and therefore is always the same size regardless of the size shoe being. operated upon, it becomes necessary that the length of the forepart form of th'e larger sizes should increase a little more than would ordinarily be'necessary, so that the relative smallness of the last at the heel end in the larger sized moccasins will be ofiset by the increased length. This same principle may be applied to avoid the necessity of maintaining on hand a supply of forepart forms graded to half sizes. By providing a hinge member for the heel part form of the lasting machine which is of greater thickness than that employed in the manufacture of shoes of whole sizes, the cubic content of the finished moccasin may be increased sufiiciently so that a second last one-half size larger than that marked on the forepart form will fit, into the finished moccasin. Thus, a forepart form size 7 employed with the extra thick hinge member will produce a moccasin into which a size 7 second last will fit.

Having thus described our invention, what, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A lasting machine having, in combination, lasting means and means for operating said lasting means, a work support comprising a heel part form constructed and arranged to receive an interlocking forepart form, and means for securing a forepart form to said heel part form.

2. A lasting machine having, in combination, lasting means and means for operating said lasting means, a heel part form mounted for movement into and out of operative position, means for mounting a forepart form on said heel part form, and means operable b the movement of said heel part form into and out of operative position for locking said forepart form on the heel part form.

3. A lasting machine having, in combination, lasting means and means for operating said lasting means, a work support comprising a heel part form pivotally mounted for movement into and out of operative position, means for mounting a forepart form on said heel part form, and toggle means for locking the forepart form to the heel part form.

4. A lasting machine having, in combination, lasting means and means for operating said lasting means, a work support comprising a heel part dorm pivotally mounted for movement into and out of operative position, and a spur for holding a shoe part on said heel part form, said spur being constructed and arranged to be moved into and out of shoe-retaining position by movement of the heel part form into and out of operative position.

5. A lasting machine having, in combination, lasting means and means for operating said lasting means, a work support comprising a heel part form pivotally mounted for movement into and out of operative position, means for mounting a forepart form on said heel part form, a shoe-retaining spur, and togglemeans for simultaneously moving said spur into shoe-retaining position and locking said forepart form on the heel part form.

6. A. lasting machine having, in combination, lasting means and means for operating said lasting means, a work support comprising a carriage, a heel part form mounted on said ca "riage and constructed and arranged to receive an interlocking forepart form, and means carried by said carriage for supporting said forepart form.

7. In a moccasin forepart shaping machine, means for supporting a form with a moccasin bottom thereon, means for stretching: and shaping the forepart of the moccasin over the form comprising a cable movable rearwardly and heightwise of the form, and a sleeve loosely surrounding the cable and arranged for direct contact with the forepart of the moccasin, said sleeve acting to provide first a rolling contact between the cable and moccasin during the first portion of the shaping movement of the cable and then to grip the moccasin during the remaining portion of the shaping movement to cause the forepart of the moccasin to be stretched heightwise of the form.

8. In a moccasin forepart shaping machine, means for supporting a form with a moccasin bottom thereon, means for stretching and shaping the forepart of. the moccasin over the form comprising a cable movable rearwardly and heightwise of the form, a helically wound wire member having an internal diameter slightly greater than the external diameter of said cable, said member forming a sleeve loosely surrounding the cable and arranged for direct contact with the forepart of the moccasin to provide a rolling contact between the cable and the moccasin during the first portion of the shaping movement of the cable and then to grip the moccasin during the remaining portion of the shaping movement to cause the forepart of the moccasin to be stretched heightwise of the form.

9. In a lasting machine, means for supporting a moccasin bottom on a form, a lasting cable, means for shifting the relative positions of said supporting means and said cable, means connected to the ends of the cable for operating the cable to last a moccasin bottom on the form, and means for moving said cable-operating means transversely of a moccasin bottom mounted on the form.

10. In a lasting machine, a work-supporting carriage, a lasting cable, means for supporting said cable, means for moving the carriage relative to said cable, means connected to said supporting means for tensioning said cable, and means for adjusting the position of said supporting means laterally in accordance with the position of the carriage relative to the cable.

11. In a lasting machine, a work-supporting carriage, a lasting cable, a pair of members for supporting said cable, means for moving said supporting members to tension said cable, and means for simultaneously moving said carriage and adjusting the position of said cable-supporting members laterally in accordance with the position of the carriage relative to the cable.

12. In a lasting machine, a support for a form with a moccasin bottom thereon, forepart lasting means, a pusher constructed and arranged to operate on a forepart-embracing clamp portable with the moccasin bottom, means for moving said pusher toward and away from a form on said support, and means for swinging said pusher into and out of position to be moved toward the form.

13. In a lasting machine, a support for a form with a moccasin bottom thereon, forepart last ng means, a lifter for bringing a forepart-embracing clamp into a predetermined position heightwise of the form, means for moving said lifter toward and away from a form on said support, and means for swinging said lifter into out of position to be moved toward the support.

14. In a lasting machine, a support for a form. with a moccasin bottom thereon, forepart-lasting means, a member for forcinga forepart clamp into engagement with the forepart of the moccasin bottom, another member for urging said clamp heightwise of the form, means for moving said members toward and away from a form on the support, and means for swinging said members into and out of position to be moved toward said support. H

15. In a lasting machine, a support for a form with a moccasin bottom thereon, forepart-lasting means, a pusher for forcing a forepart clamp into clamping engagement with the moccasin bottom, a member constructed and arranged to engage said clamp and to position it heightwise of a last, a carrier on which the pusher and the positioning member are pivoted, said carrier being mounted for rectilinear movement toward and away'from the toe end of'the form, and means operative upon movement of said carrier away from the form for swinging said pusher and said positioning member about their pivots.

16. Shoemaking apparatus comprising a lasting cable, means for supporting a moccasin bottom in position to be operated upon by said cable, said means including a heel part form constructed and arranged to receive an interlocking forepart form, means connected to the ends of said cable for operating the cable to last a moccasin bottom over a forepart form supported in the machine, and means for moving said cable-operating means transversely relative to the forepart form.

1'7. Shoemaking apparatus comprising lasting means, means for supporting a moccasin bottom in position to be operated upon by said lasting means, said means including a heel part form constructed and arranged to receive an interlocking forepart form, means movable toward the forepart form to force a forepart-embracing clamp into position to hold the moccasin bottom in lasted relation to the form, and means for swinging said last-named means into and out of position to be moved toward the forepart form.

18. Shoemaking apparatus comprising a lasting cable, means for supporting a moccasin bottom in position to be operated upon by said cable, said means including a heel part form constructed and arranged to receive an interlocking forepart form, means connected to the ends of said cable for, operating the cable to last a moccasin bottom over a forepart form supported in the machine, means for moving said cable-operating means transversely relative to the forepart form, means movable toward and away from the forepart form for forcing a forepart-embracing clamp into position to hold the moccasin bottom in lasted relation to the form, and means for swinging said last-named means into and out of position to be moved toward the forepart form.

FRED ASHWORTI-I. PAUL W. SENFLEBEN. 

